Rafael Nadal hit the tennis court to practice with rising WTA sensation Alexandra Eala a year after his retirement. The former World No. 1 retired at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, following a disappointing outing for Spain.On Wednesday, the Spaniard shared a video of himself practicing at his famed tennis academy in Mallorca with Eala, a graduate of the academy. The 22-time Slam champion captioned the post:"One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court. It was great to practice with you @alex.eala! Next time I will be stronger 😉" View this post on Instagram Instagram PostRafael Nadal's sister Maribel shared the video on her Instagram story with a loving reaction."😍😍," she wrote.Maribel's loving reaction on Instagram to her brother practicing with Alexandra Eala (Source: Instagram/mariabel_nadal)Despite Nadal's emotional retirement at last year's Davis Cup Finals, it was widely thought that the event didn't do justice while paying tribute to his magnificent career. He received a far grander tribute at the 2025 French Open, where he was joined by his former rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray."Let's keep dreaming" - Rafael Nadal's encouraging message to Alexandra Eala after Filipino's epic win over Iga Swiatek at Miami Open 2025Rafael Nadal during a press conference at the 2025 French Open (Source: Getty)At the 2025 Miami Open, Alexandra Eala produced a number of upsets, taking down three seeded players in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Paula Badosa to set up what should have been a daunting quarterfinal clash against former WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The Filipino shocked Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to make it to the last four of the prestigious WTA 1000 hardcourt event.Rafael Nadal lauded Eala's performance, writing on X:"We are extremely proud of you, Alex. What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming!"Eala's memorable run in Miami came to an end in the semifinals, losing to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula in three sets.